So Long, Luv U

‘Luv U’ aired for the last time last Sunday afternoon, ending a near four-year run. (Logo courtesy of ABS-CBN)

The last remaining teen-oriented series in the country has finally departed.

On Sunday, January 17, ABS-CBN’s ‘Luv U’ officially aired its final episode. The series bowed out after nearly four years on the air, with a total of 203 episodes to boot.

The final episode of ‘Luv U’ marked the end of an era for teen-oriented series, which began when GMA’s ‘T.G.I.S.’ premiered in mid-1995. With the cast’s desire to move on to other projects and at the same time devote several hours of school time, it is clear that the series would have to end.

First aired on February 19, 2012, ‘Luv U’ was essentially a grown-up version of ‘Goin’ Bulilit’, featuring the then-teenage graduates of the latter series. Early episodes of the series were more humor-oriented, but as the years went by, more serious elements were added, each emphasizing on the real-life struggles of Filipino teenagers.

‘Luv U’ originally aired in between ‘ASAP’ and ‘The Buzz’, but in April 2015, it was moved to the late afternoon slot to replace the latter. While ratings for the series were respectable overall, the change of timeslot in later episodes caused it to fall.

Nevertheless, ‘Luv U”s final episode made a lasting impression. While ratings for the finale are yet to be revealed, it managed to trend on Twitter.

On Instagram, cast member Miles Ocampo, now lead protagonist of ‘And I Love You So’, posted this message:

“MAMI-MISS KO ang gumising ng umaga tuwing Monday, ang mag script reading, ang asaran, ang foodtrip, ang tawanan, ang friendship at ang nabuong pamilya.”

“THANK YOU sa mga experiences, sa sad and happy memories, sa mga pagturo ng maraming lessons at sa pagbibigay saakin ng pagmamahal.. Sa lahat po ng sumuporta sa LUV U sa loob ng 4 NA TAON, maraming maraming salamat po sainyong lahat.”

View this post on Instagram

MAMI-MISS KO ang gumising ng umaga tuwing Monday, ang mag script reading, ang asaran, ang foodtrip, ang tawanan, ang friendship at ang nabuong pamilya… THANK YOU sa mga experiences, sa sad and happy memories, sa mga pagturo ng maraming lessons at sa pagbibigay saakin ng pagmamahal.. Sa lahat po ng sumuporta sa LUV U sa loob ng 4 NA TAON, maraming maraming salamat po sainyong lahat. Kaya sa huling pagkakataon, iniimbitahan ko po kayong lahat.. bukas po, Luv U, 4:30pm, after kapamilya mega blockbusters. THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU FOREVER, my LUV U FAMILY. ❤️❤️❤️ #LuvUPaalam

A post shared by Miles Ocampo (@milesocampo) on Jan 16, 2016 at 4:18am PST

The cast of ‘Luv U’ also includes Kiray Celis, Marco Gumabao, Sharlene San Pedro, Alexa Ilacad, Nash Aguas, Jairus Aquino, Mika Dela Cruz, Rhap Salazar, Smokey Manaloto, Hyubs Azarcon, Bentong, and Joy Viado, among others. Edgar Mortiz and sons Frasco and Badjie directed the series.

The fate of the now-vacant 4:45 p.m. slot is still to be determined. Regardless, ‘Luv U’ will be missed by its loyal viewers, and the lessons that come with it will never be forgotten.

Advertisement

Killer Karaoke and Singing Bee Debut Today

Today will officially mark the first episodes of two sing-along game shows: ABS-CBN‘s ‘The Singing Bee‘, and TV5’s ‘Killer Karaoke Pinoy Naman’. Both programs have been hyped heavily over the past couple of weeks, so expect a whole lot of fun watching the two programs.

‘The Singing Bee’ makes its long-awaited return on the Kapamilya network. The original iteration was previously hosted by current Kapuso talent Cesar Montano, and aired from 2008-10. The new version of ‘The Singing Bee’ will be hosted by Roderick Paulate and Amy Perez, and will be joined by the dancing crew The Honeybees, the all-vocal ensemble The Songbees, and the instrumental band The Bandible Bees. The main objective of the program is to guess either the missing line or the lyrics, arrange a particular line of a song in the correct order, and guess the artist who sang a particular song.

The new edition of ‘The Singing Bee’ airs every Saturday at 3:00 p.m. following ‘Showtime’. The first guests of the show will be former Apo Hiking Society singer Boboy Garovillo, actresses Carmi Martin, Eric Fructuoso and Kiray Celis, and showbiz host Ogie Diaz. The program marks the reunion of ‘Dick and Amy’ on television, having first seen in the ‘Pera o Bayong’ segment of the defunct ‘Magandang Tanghali Bayan‘.

Meanwhile, TV5’s Pinoy version of the popular American game show ‘Killer Karaoke’ finally makes its highly-anticipated debut. The program, known locally as ‘Killer Karaoke Pinoy Naman’, will be hosted by Michael V, best known for his lengthy service with GMA’s gag show ‘Bubble Gang’. The program’s first guests will be Ogie Alcasid, Arci Munoz, Eula Caballero, Shalala, Jayce Flores and Rufa Me.

‘Killer Karaoke Pinoy Naman”s main objective is to sing while being subjected to a variety of challenges. These challenges range from the disgusting to the shocking, regardless of the difficulty. The final challenge will see the contestants being forced to sing while spinning on a turntable, with the last contestant standing adjudged as the jackpot winner.

‘Killer Karaoke Pinoy Naman’ airs every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. after ‘Tropa Mo Ko Unli’, on TV5’s ‘Weekend Do It Better’. This will be Michael V’s first TV5 appearance since ‘Tropang Trumpo’, and his first solo hosting job since his defunct comedy shows ‘Bitoy’s Funniest Videos’ and ‘Bitoy’s ‘Showwwtime’.